The Spiraling Flames
by FinalXFantasy91
Summary: Natsu disappeared leaving Lucy with a regretful heart. Several months later, she goes on a job with Erza and Gray, given to them by the Master. It was supposed to be an easy get-item-and-dash. Never did the master tell them about encountering a Dragon on this mission! Curses, love, hate, magic, suspension and probably more... (Will be placed on stand-by)


_Before you start saying anything… I must apologize about the lateness of my return. I have been working, studying, and going crazy over the break and months and so on. I will try to update the chapters of my other stories as soon as I feel satisfaction that it is fit to be published. It seems that I have developed a need for refines of the story-line and more ideas. For now this has been in my head and probably a start of another series that I wished I shouldn't have started yet._

_Don't get your hopes to high; will probably put this off as just a plot-line for now._

_Thank you for your time for reading though!_

_Disclaimer: Do not own Fairy Tail or its characters; just the plot-line of this fanfiction._

_FXF91~_

**The Spiraling Flames**

**Prologue of the Returned**

"_Y-you've got to be kidding me…"_ a young blond mage thought in frozen fear as she pressed herself further onto the cold stone wall which she was cornered to,_ "Master didn't say anything about this being in the job!"_

This magician… Lucy Heartfilia… didn't know what to do when she stared at the reptilian in front of her. She didn't dare move from her place. She knew with its piercing ebony eyes gazed as if she was a chunk of meat it would charge at her if she even twitched. Out of all magical creatures that she had encountered as a Fairy Tail gild's magician… meeting demons and talking flying animals… this is the first she has met this type of creature since it is rarest to be sighted in the whole world!

A Dragon…. A bloody live and breathing Dragon was right in front of her!

Red scales all over its body were shimmering in the dim light like rubies; talons that were white as pearls but sharper than that of the finest crafted swords; no doubt that the teeth were the same which she knew could rip her to shreds. Actually it looked like it could swallow her whole without opening its jaws all the way. She could see the folded wings, with webbing skin toning towards a pinkish color with its transparent likeliness and the molded muscles that connected to its scaled back told her that it could fly faster than the Wind Dragon Slayer back at the guild. There was no way she could defeat this!

"_Dammit, out of all the things I have to run into is a dragon without a dragon slayer! If only Natsu was…"_ she flinched off her thoughts at the name she realized she had unconsciously thought of after avoiding trying to say for months.

Lucy and Master Makarov were the only ones that had seen him before he went off for a solo mission and she regretted not stopping him after feeling her heart wrenching out and telling her to follow him. It was one of the worst things she hated about her woman's intuition. Now all she had of him was Happy, the blue flying/talking cat, and the smiling face that told her he would be alright.

A warm blow against her made her open her eyes that she didn't know when she had closed and brake her train down the dreary memory lane, _"Stop thinking of the past Lucy Heartfilia! This is not time to remember someone that is probably dead!"_ A cold pierce hit her heart crunching ice and salt on the wound at the conclusion she had made, but she stood her ground… err, leaning on wall… as she gulped the scream that was sure to probably end her life as the red dragon's eyes kept its eyes on her, though much closer.

"_Erza, Gray, where are you!? I did say I was going to find the requested treasure, since this place was tempting, but it doesn't take you guys this long to destroy a Dark Guild of this level since they are just a group of five!"_ she yelled mentally looking ready to cry and sink to the floor accepting her fate as dragon food, _"Then again a dragon being held here in their hideout must mean they are pretty strong, but still… SAVE ME!"_

"LUCY!" a female voice signaled her that they have arrived and she inwardly cried in joy in seeing the strongest mage of their team… even though she scared her when angry. She could see the fiery red head in glinting armor, wounded and bleeding, but still strong magical presence come into view.

"Whoa! Is that a dragon!?" said the male ebony haired ice magician behind her. No shirt in sight, meaning he must have stripped it off with his habit, showing his muscular tones but with several bruises in sight, with cuts and some minor bleeding told her otherwise of his stripping as a choice. The cross bearing necklace over the Fairy Tail insignia swung as they ran towards her.

But before they could get even closer the dragons head turned and whipped its tail towards them making them jump back or be thrown back by its sheer force.

"Damn, we can't get closer like this!" Gray yelled before seeing another whip of the tail that was coming towards him, "Ice Make: Shield!" An thick glacier shield appeared in front of him just in time to suppress most of the force before it broke leaving him time to jump onto the walls, and making a place for him to land.

At the same time Erza was about to attack the dragon with its attention drawn on the other, but the intake of breath and feeling of heat alerted her, "Re-equip: Fire-Empress Armor!" within a blink of an eye her usual armor transformed to the familiar fire-resistant mail armor before the dragon released its flames from its mouth hitting both her and the male companion that was hit after her knocking them to the wall and onto the floor.

"Erza! Gray!" Lucy yelled in shock but yelped as the flames back-flickered towards her burning her exposed skin making her drop to her bottom in pain. When the heat and fire resisted she winced as the needling sensation of her scorched skin.

"Lu…cy! In… front!" Erza warned out of breath trying to get her shocked and weakened body up and help the Celestial Mage.

The blond magician froze when the warm breath was on her again. Terrified the mere close proximity of the dragon's head could be right now, Lucy closed her eyes in fear curling into a ball, despite the protest of the searing wounds, trying to be smaller against the wall.

"Natsu… Natsu…" she kept calling out as tears welled up behind her eyes when the image of a pink haired Fire Dragon Slayer, with his contagious grin and muscular glory, appeared from her memory… wishing with all her might that he would save her from her closing death sentence and tell him her hidden feelings she had for him. But his calling name was the only thing that comforted her as the jaws came closer, "Natsu…"

"_Lucy…"_ she opened her eyes, heart skipping in her chest at the surprise in hearing the familiar voice that reverberated in her mind. All the fear dissipated as she looked up and into the ebony eyes of the dragon that was laying its head on the ground in front of her.

"Lu-Lucy, what are you…?" Gray didn't finish as he winced in pain feeling the fractured rib and added bruises as he fell back into a heap.

"_Lucy, don't cry…" _the warm voice reverberated again in her mind as she gazed at the eyes… eyes that were boring at her with sadness. The searing pain receded to the background, along with her begging friends to stop, as her body uncurled, tears still streaming from her eyes, showing disbelief instead of terror.

"No it couldn't be?" she asked quietly in a shaking voice as she reached out, "I-is it really you?"

Once her Fairy Tail Insignia hand touched the dragon's ruby scaled head, the voice… _his_ voice… replied and this time she knew the voice was coming from the dragon, _"I'm sorry Lucy…"_

"Natsu!" she cried burying herself onto the hard scaled flesh of the dragon. The red dragon only kneaded its head closer to her tearing sobs as to comfort her.

The Fire Dragon was her Fire Dragon Slayer… this was Natsu Dragneel.


End file.
